The Foreign Minister, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, today held talks with French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin.
In a press statement, Prince Saud, on behalf of the government of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, welcomed the French Minister, and expressed his satisfaction with the talks held between the two sides to discuss current developments in the region, notably the situation in Iraq.
The two sides emphasized the importance of the return of security, stability and self-governance to Iraq, and the provision of humanitarian aid to the Iraqi people.
They also reviewed the importance of continued consultation and cooperation between European and Arab countries on the issues of Iraq and the Middle East peace process.
Prince Saud expressed his hope that the Quartet Committee would proceed as soon as possible to present the Middle East ‘road map’ for peace, taking into consideration the Arab peace initiative that was introduced at the Beirut Summit meeting.
The French Foreign Minister commented on the situation in Iraq, saying that the fulfilment of humanitarian needs should be given priority. He stressed the urgent necessity that U.S.-led forces in Iraq resolve problems arising from the lack of security in the country.
The Minister said that France supports a strong role for the UN in the process of political and economic reconstruction of Iraq, in cooperation with the international community. He said that France is cooperating with its European partners to seek a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis.
Source: SPA
